By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Pair caught in stolen vehicle
Ceres Cop Car

Two men were jailed on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 2 after an officer pulled over the stolen pickup they were riding in.

At 2:23 p.m. Ceres Police Officer Fredrico Ortiz made a traffic stop on a blue pickup truck towing a flatbed trailer in the area of Whitmore and Central avenues because items were falling off the trailer into the road. Ortiz spoke to driver Elias Amaya, 29, of Modesto, and was told the pickup was stolen. Officers detained Amaya and passenger Domingo Pimentel, 36, of Modesto.

A search turned up a clear plastic baggy containing a small amount of methamphetamine in Amaya's front pocket. He was also found with a glass pipe commonly used to smoke methamphetamine.

Pimentel also was found with a small amount of methamphetamine. Pimentel said he found the baggie at a job site where he was working near a school.

Amaya said he purchased the trailer and pickup from an unknown male he met on an online site. He said he bought the trailer for $500 and then asked the seller if he wanted to sell the truck also. Amaya said he agreed to trade a Mustang for the truck and they agreed to conduct the transaction at a dealership on S. Ninth Street in Modesto that Amaya originally bought the Mustang from. Amaya stated he thought everything was done right because he had signed paperwork and he just had not had the time to register the vehicle.

The trailer was registered out of Atwater and had not been reported stolen. Amaya stated the trailer that he purchased with the truck was back at his shop. Officer Ortiz and Villalobos went to Amaya's shop and located that trailer.

Ortiz called the owner of the stolen truck and trailer who stated he did not sign his name to any papers nor did he sell the vehicle. The truck and all trailers were towed pending further investigation from the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force.

Amaya had a suspended driver license, was currently on probation, and he had an active felony no-bail warrant out of San Joaquin County. He was booked for felony possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property, probation violation, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving on a suspended license, and a felony warrant out of San Joaquin County.

Pimentel was arrested and booked for violation of possession of controlled substance.